RED BANK: BASIE TO AIR DINIZIO TRIBUTE
A sold-out concert in memory of late Smithereens singer and songwriter Pat DiNizio will be livestreamed from the Count Basie Theatre Saturday, the Red Bank venue announced Tuesday.
Dubbed “Time And Time Again: A Celebration of Pat DiNizio,” the 8 p.m. concert is to be hosted by Basie board member and rock guitarist Steven Van Zandt and livestreamed at theBASIE.org.
DiNizio, who fronted the New Jersey-based Smithereens, died at age 62 on December 12, two days after the Basie announced a January 13 concert by the band. The show was also to feature the band Scandal, fronted by Patty Smyth.
Now reconstituted as a tribute, the concert is scheduled to feature the Smithereens – Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken, Severo Jornacion and Mike Mesaros – joined by Van Zandt, Scandal vocalist Patty Smyth, Marshall Crenshaw, Ted Leo, Robin Wilson of the Gin Blossoms, Freedy Johnston, Richard Barone , Graham Maby, Peter Zaremba and Keith Streng (the Fleshtones), Bebe Buell, The Grip Weeds, Soraia, John Jorgensen, Kenny Margolis, producer Ed Stasium, Andy Burton, Kenny Howes and others, the Basie said in its Tuesday announcement.
A short film about DiNizio will be shown during the concert.
With the event, the Basie plans to debut a new ‘club’ format, with a dance floor that’s level with the existing stage. The idea is to give patrons a taste things to come with a new 800-person-capacity performance space to be constructed as part of a current $23 million expansion.
Some proceeds from the show are to be donated to the Pat DiNizio Musical Performance Scholarship at the Count Basie Theatre’s Performing Arts Academy.
